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Is It Wrong To Kiss?
Songs about Kisses and Kissing
Ah, the kiss.
One of mankind's greatest comforts and the source of
love, happiness and even jealousy and conflict. This month we explore some of
the aspects of the kiss and its many variables as seen through the eyes of the
composers of Tin Pan Alley.
Our feature presents a short survey of
some
fun as well as serious looks at kisses in song.
As always, we'd love to hear from any of
you about this feature
and solicit any of you to submit music and features for future publication. If
you are interested, the "rules"
for submissions can be found here,
we'd love to have submissions by any of
our readers, anytime and
would enjoy having a "reader submission" or "favorites"
feature from time to time. Heck, get involved, help us out and write a feature
for us!
Recently we've corresponded with
Terry Smythe, a piano roll
collector in Winnepeg (Canada). Terry has devised a machine that scans and
converts old piano roll music to MIDI.
The result is a near perfect recording of
the piano roll music.
The significance of this is that we can again hear the
performances of many important pianists from the golden age of American music
without having to have a player piano.
Terry has graciously granted us
permission to post his MIDI files whenever we feature a song for which he has
converted a roll. This month we introduce Terry's works with two of Victor
Herbert's classic songs; Kiss Me Again and A Kiss In The Dark ( both on page two of this issue) .
1882.
Is
It Wrong To Kiss?
Music by: J.W. Bischoff
Lyrics by: Bischoff
It seems appropriate, at least to me, to establish the moral basis for this
month's subject. Fortunately, in 1882 J.W. Bischoff did just that in a song.
Here we have a very clever and entertaining song with a bit of a surprise
ending. A sweet maiden asks the question of many a person as well as the forces
of nature about the morality of kissing and gets no answer. Only when she
encounters a rather bold young man does she find the truth. See the scorch
version or the lyrics link below to find out how the story goes, it is a
wonderfully good humored work.
In addition to its good humor, the song is one of the earliest examples of a
Tin Pan Alley style song to emerge in the late Dead Zone of American music. With
an interesting cover and title, the sheet music is designed to sell. In
addition, the musical style though through composed and still carrying the
attributes of the dead zone, points ahead to the popular music style that would
become America's musical signature. The lyrics are still firmly grounded in Victorian ideals yet
coyly points to a more liberated and titillating time in music. It is a real
gem.
John W. Bischoff (b. 1850, Chicago - d. 1909 Washington, DC) Blind
from the tender age of two, Bischoff went on to become a noted organist,
compiler of musical collections and composer. His compilations included a
significant number of his own works and include Gospel Bells, 1883,
God Be With You, 1880 and Not Half Has Been Told, 1877. He was
principal organist at the First Congregational Church in Washington from 1874
till his death in 1909.
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1891.
Kiss
And Let's Make Up
Music by: Charles K. Harris
Lyrics by: Harris
Now that we've established the validity of the kiss, at least musically,
we
can move on to the various uses of the kiss and some of the many songs that were
written around this rather odd human behavior. Charles K. Harris, the man we've
dubbed the "King of The Tear Jerkers" wrote many songs that were firmly
entrenched in the Victorian penchant for emotion and sweetness. Though not his
most famous song (After The Ball, 1892),
this song was one of his most popular and one still often remembered and sung as
a children's song. Very similar but before another song from the same era, I Don't Want To Play In Your Yard (1894,
H.W. Petrie), the song deals with a childhood friendship gone wrong and then
later mended as a lasting loving relationships. Of course the kiss' value and
use here is to "make up," between friends but later, lovers.
This song steps firmly into the Tin Pan Alley with the more familiar strophic
song style and with music that is a bit further away from the classical style of
earlier times. Harris always managed to hit on subjects that were timeless and
told stories of interest, this song's lyrics are no exception and hold one's
interest still today. The music is full of Victorian era ornamentation and
playing style including trills and arpeggiated chords. The harmony is clearly of
that era.
 Charles Kassell
Harris was born in 1867 in Poughkipsie, NY and died in
NYC in 1930. He lived for many years in Milwaukee and published many of his
early songs there. His After The Ball, published in 1892 is generally
considered to be the watershed song that started the popular song industry in
earnest as a commercial juggernaught. Though Harris wrote many songs over the
years, none ever rose to the level of popularity as After The Ball. See
our in-depth biography of
Harris for much more information
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Kiss
Me, Honey Do
1898
Music by: John Stromberg
Lyrics by: Edgar Smith
Kisses of course are more often connected to romance than to making up and
the "kiss song" managed to cross over virtually all styles and genres of popular
song. Here we have an early "coon song," that solicits the romantic kiss from his honey,
Dinah. The story told in this song is rather unremarkable and it clearly was
written to capitalize on the coon song craze which would have been at or near
its peak when this song was written. The music is rather common and not
particularly memorable either. With a mostly simple right hand that mostly
doubles the melody and a fairly simple left hand chordal accompaniment, the song
presents no major challenges to the pianist. The song was originally a part of
the 1898 Weber & Fields stage production Hurley-Burley and was
originally titled Dinah.
John Stromberg (b. 1853, New York City - d. 1902, New York) was a
popular composer during the 1890's and worked almost exclusively with lyricist
Edgar Smith. Together they wrote a number of shows for Webber and Fields stage
works including, The Geezer (1896), The Glad Hand (1897)
Hurley-Burley (1898) and Whirl-i-gig (1899). Famed performer
Lillian Russell introduced several of his songs in that 1899 production
including When Chloe Sings A Song. Stromberg teamed up with Harry B.
Smith to write several popular songs including, I'm Making A Bid for
Popularity (1899), The Kissing Bug (1899), My Josephine (1899)
and De Cake Walk Queen (1900). Unfortunately, little of Stromberg's music
is heard today and none seems to have made it into the lasting hit category.
Stromberg died by his own hand in 1902. That same year, after his death, Russell
introduced his previously unperformed song Come Down, Ma Evenin' Star in
a performance of Twirly-Whirly.
Listen to and see this
kissing "coon" song (Scorch)
Listen to MIDI version
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May
I Print A Kiss?
1902
Music by: Carrie Jacobs-Bond
Words by: Bond
It's often said that big things come in small packages and this exceptional
example by Carrie Jacobs Bond proves that point without doubt. From a 1902
compilation of short but memorable songs, May I Print A Kiss is a creative song
by a master of the short song. Bond was able to convey a complete musical idea
in short order. However, it would be a mistake to assume the music she wrote was
simple, it was quite accomplished. As well, she could convey volumes with a
short lyric. This set of songs, and in particular this one, demonstrates her
ability in this regard. Bond reached the pinnacle of this art with her Smile
Songs, a group of sixteen songs of eight bars each that though short to the
extreme, convey a full measure of musical and lyrical thought. This song though
twice the length of the Smile Songs, is still a model of efficiency. At sixteen
measures and a playing time of a mere 28 seconds, it is much more complex than
one would think. For the best musical experience, be sure to view the Scorch
version.
 Carrie Jacobs-Bond suffered many tragedies in
her life but managed to overcome them all through courage and determination. Her
life is inspirational and her ability to overcome the odds made her one of
America's most loved composers. We've featured many of her works on ParlorSongs
and still have many more to present. We recommend you spend the time to learn
much more about this remarkable woman by visiting our in depth biography of her and
our June, 2000 feature on
her music. For even more of her songs we've published, use our search page and search for "Carrie Jacobs-Bond."
Hear this old Bond
original song 
Printable, using Scorch format
Listen to MIDI version
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Kiss
Me Good-Bye Sweetheart
1904
Music by: Henry W. Armstrong
Lyrics by: Armstrong
Cover artist:
unknown
During the early 20th century, many of the major newspapers in the US
published Sunday supplements that were in fact, sheet music for popular (or
maybe not so popular) songs of the day. As with many such publications, the
sheet music was a marketing method to get buyers of the Sunday paper. In October
of 2000, we published a
feature about Sunday supplements. See that article for more information. As
with most newspaper supplements, this one is suffering from acid paper decay.
This work appears to have been a part of a six issue series contracted by the
paper of "six songs written for the New York Sunday World" by popular composers.
The song is a march that starts out very reminiscent of the Madden work, Blue Bell (MIDI) from the same year, listen
and see if you agree. And like Blue Bell, the song is a "good-bye" song for a
military man about to leave his sweetheart for the perils of combat. Of course,
all of us who have been in the military know the romantic value of departing on
an assignment to danger and it seems that it's been a tried and true method for
as long as conflicts have existed!
Henry W. Armstrong (aka Harry) (b. 1879, Sommerville, Mass., d. 1951,
New York, NY) One does not often think of a prize fighter as a genteel lovers of
the arts, but Armstrong is an exception. His varied career not only included his
bout(s) as a pugilist but also included booking agent, producer, singer, pianist
and of course composer. As a performer, Armstrong entertained in hospitals
during the first world war and as well, performed in night clubs, radio and near
the end of his life, even on TV. His biggest hit was Sweet Adeline, in
1903 with Richard H. Gerard.
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Kiss
Me My Honey, Kiss Me
1910
Music by: Ted Snyder
Lyrics by: Irving Berlin
Cover artist:
John Frew
Before he was the master of American popular song, Irving Berlin was a
lyricist, in fact he got his start as a lyricist and singing waiter. He did not
become a phenomenon till after the release of his 1911 Alexander's ragtime band.
For details of his early life see our in-depth biography of Berlin. Prior to 1911, and for a short
time after, Berlin often teamed up with Ted Snyder as his lyricist and they
published a number of songs that were popular but not lasting hits. This song is
one of their several songs published by Snyder's company. A fabulous cover by
John Frew adorns this catchy tune. The rather large lady on the cover with the
mouthful of tooth gaps is "little" Amy Butler. Butler was obviously a performer
of note in 1910 however, I've been unable to locate any information about her.
The song is a tender ballad, with a musically interesting chord basis for the
accompaniment in the chorus. The verses are short but have a nice andante
espressivo melody that leads to the more upbeat but delicato chorus. I found
this song to be quite interesting and enjoyable.
Ted Snyder (b. 1881, Freeport, Illinois d. 1965,
Hollywood, CA) Ted Snyder is the person who gave Irving Berlin his start in the
music business by hiring him in 1909 as a song plugger for his publishing
company. But Snyder is also recalled as a composer in his own right who wrote
hits such as The Sheik of Araby (1921) and Who's Sorry Now?
(1923).
Little is known of Ted's early life, other than he attended the public
schools in Boscobel, WI., and as a very young man, he posted theater bills for a
living. Later, he was a cafe pianist, and then a staff pianist and song plugger
in Chicago and New York music publishing houses. Like Berlin, his first
publications came in 1907 with his first song There's a Girl in This World
for Every Boy, with lyrics Will D. Cobb. Snyder wrote a number of other
tunes in collaboration with other important lyricists of the day and in 1909 he
began his association with Berlin. Some of their first tunes included, Sweet
Italian Love, Kiss Me, My Honey, Kiss Me, and Next To Your Mother,
Who Do You Love? as well as 1910's That Beautiful Rag.
In 1913, Irving Berlin was writing his own melodies, as well as his own
lyrics and Snyder's firm is reorganized and is called, Waterson, Berlin and
Snyder. Ted Snyder also continued writing his own melodies, often with other
lyricists such as Bert Kalmar and Edgar Leslie. Among the songs he wrote with
Kalmar and/or Leslie are: Moonlight on the Rhine, In The Land of
Harmony and The Ghost of the Violin. From the end of the first World
War till 1930, Snyder continued writing songs with other talented lyricists.
In 1930, Ted Snyder retired from the songwriting business, settled in
Hollywood, CA., and went into the restaurant business. He died in Hollywood. He
is a member of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.
(Adapted from
Kinkle, pp 1784-85)
 Irving Berlin. Born Isidore Baline in Temun,
Russia, in 1888, Berlin moved to New York City with his family in 1893. He
published his first work, Marie of Sunny
Italy (Scorch format) in 1907 at age 19 and immediately had his first
hit on his hands. It was at that time he changed his name to Irving Berlin. His
total royalties for this first song amounted to 37 cents. In 1911 the
publication of Alexander's Ragtime
Band (MIDI) established his reputation as a songwriter. He formed his
own music-publishing business in 1919, and in 1921 he became a partner in the
construction of the Music Box Theater in New York, staging his own popular
revues at the theater for several years. Berlin wrote about 1500 songs. One
unique fact about Berlin is that he was not able to read or write music or play
the piano except in one key (F sharp). He picked out melodies or dictated them
and had assistants fill in the harmonies and accompaniment for him. Berlin never
seemed to give credit for these very talented people. In his later years, he had
a special device attached to his piano that allowed him to transpose any song
into his "favorite" key. His initial start in the music industry was as a singer
and then as a lyricist. It was only after great success in writing lyrics that
Berlin turned to melodies.
Whether for Broadway musicals or films, for humorous songs or romantic
ballads, his compositions are celebrated for their appealing melodies and
memorable lyrics. Among the numerous musical comedies and revues for which
Berlin wrote music and lyrics were Annie Get Your Gun (1946), and
Mr. President (1962). His many popular songs include There's No
Business Like Show Business, God Bless America, and White
Christmas. In 1968 Berlin received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. On
September 22nd 1989, at the age of 101, Berlin died in his sleep in New York
City.
It is almost impossible to provide a meaningful biographical sketch of
Berlin in only a few words, he is perhaps the most celebrated and successful
composer of American song from the Tin Pan Alley era. Way back in November of
1998 we did a feature
on Berlin's music, which we updated early in 2003. In addition, we have
added a more extensive
biography of Berlin for those who want to know more about him.
Listen to this great old song
(scorch format)
Listen to MIDI version
Lyrics
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Genee Waltzes
1908
Music by: Maurice Levi
Lyrics by: None, piano only
Cover artist:
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth
Edition. 2000 defines a soul kiss as: noun, "A kiss in which the tongue enters
the partner's mouth; a French kiss." Holy-Moley! I wonder if that is what Flo.
Ziegfeld had in mind in 1908 when he staged the play, The Soul Kiss. That
musical extravaganza included music by Addison Burkhardt, Louis A. Hirsch,
Maurice Levi and Paul Lincke and was written by Harry B. Smith. The show opened
on Jan 28, 1908 at the New York Theater, in New York City. Among the cast was a
young lady, Adeline Genee. Genee was apparently popular as evidenced by this
work, a compilation of the "principal numbers" from the show. Genee also starred
in The Silver Star which opened at the New Amsterdam Theater, on November
1, 1909 and played for 80 performances. The Soul Kiss was a bit more
successful, running for 122 performances.
Genee (1875 - 1954) was born Anita Jensen in Århus, Denmark and became
renowned as a dancer, primarily in ballet. She was appointed prima ballerina at
the Empire Theater in London in 1897 and stayed in that position for ten years.
Florenz Ziegfeld, brought her to the US in 1908 to star in his production and
advertised her as being 'the world's greatest dancer'. The show was an enormous
success and, as she had done in England, she made thousands of people aware that
dance was a true art form that could be both elevating and entertaining. Genee
retired from the stage in 1916 but continued to be a driving force in the
development of dance in the UK.
In 1931 the Adeline Genée Medal Awards were
instituted in the United Kingdom in her honor and they remain one of the most
important awards of excellence given to young dancers. In 1950, she was created
Dame of the Order of the British Empire for her services to ballet. Facts for
the above biography from Collector's Post.com where you can see some great photos of
Genee as well as read a review of the show from the Theater Magazine, March
1908.
The composer, Levi, was clearly enthralled with Genee and wrote this
arrangement of melodies from the show, all waltzes and all with beautiful
flowing melodies. Imagine Genee flitting about the stage as you listen to the
music. The titles Levi has included in this medley are, in order of appearance,
the title song, The Soul Kiss, When The Swallows Return In Spring, Any Old
Place In The World With You and My Old Broadway. I hope you enjoy
this musical interlude on the soul kiss.
Maurice Levi, was a relatively prolific writer of
Broadway shows and also wrote the music for at least three of Ziegfeld's musical
revues, 1908, 1909 and 1911. His other credits include; The Soul Kiss
(1908), Twiddle-Twaddle (1906) Higgledy-Piggledy (1905) The
Rogers Brothers in Harvard (1902) The Rogers Brothers in Washington
(1901) and The Rogers Brothers in Central Park (1900). Aside from his
many credits, I've been unable to find out anything else about his
life.
Listen to and see this
wonderful waltz
Printable using the Scorch plugin
Listen to MIDI version
Lyrics (no lyrics, piano only)
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Kiss
Me Again
1915
Music by: Victor Herbert
Lyrics by: Henry Blossom
Cover artist:
Unsigned
For most of us, the first taste of a kiss leads to the desire for more. After
all, who can resist the intimacy that a sweet kiss brings to us? Victor Herbert
wrote many romantic songs and was at one time considered the leading American
composer, the standard by which others were judged. In terms of art songs, I
would agree and this work is a good example of the sort of song that Victor was
best known for. From his 1905 operetta, Mlle. Modeste written with Henry
Blossom, the song obviously enjoyed a place in the standard repertoire of
American songs. This copy is from a full ten years after the show's debut and
the song continues to be heard yet today. The show was often revived and enjoyed
performances as late as 1929 at the Jolson Theater in New York. A 1939 musical
movie, The Great Victor Herbert featured the song sung by Susanna Foster.
This song actually was not included as such in the first performance of
Mlle. Modeste. The melody was the signature or title song of the show and
originally was titled If I Were On The Stage. The song appeared later as
a separate song retitled to Kiss Me Again and was popularized by Austrian
soprano Fritzi Scheff (1879-1954) who also initially sang it in the operetta.
Scheff was a successful singer in grand opera but made her real impact in the
world of operetta. She made her debut in 1897 at the Munich Royal Opera as Marie
in Fille du Régiment. Her 1906 performance in Mlle. Modiste launched her
career in operetta. (Scheff facts from HistoricOpera.com) As often has happened with certain
songs, Fritzi Scheff and Kiss Me Again became inextricably linked and it
was associated with her for the remainder of her career.
A Special Treat! Recently we've corresponded with Terry Smythe,
a piano roll collector in Winnepeg (Canada). Terry has devised a machine that
scans and converts old piano roll music to MIDI. The result is a near perfect
recording of the piano roll music. The significance of this is that we can again
hear the performances of many important pianists from the golden age of American
music without having to have a player piano. Terry has graciously granted us
permission to post his MIDI files whenever we feature a song for which he has
converted a roll. This month, and with this song and A Kiss In The Dark,
(below) we introduce Terry's works. Listen now to the playing of the composer,
Victor Herbert as he plays his own song,
Kiss Me Again from Ampico piano roll 371. Visit Terry's site
for a fascinating look at how he has accomplished this miracle.
 Victor Herbert (b. Dublin, 1859 - d.
New York City, 1924) Herbert was three when his father died and he and his
mother went to live with her father in a small town near London. Since his
grandfather, Samuel Lover was a man of letters and dramatist, the boy grew up in
a cultured atmosphere where he learned to appreciate the arts. At seven he began
studying piano with his mother. He showed such talent that his mother and
grandfather sent him to Germany for intensive music study. In Stuttgart he
studied music with a specialty in cello. He played with several orchestras and
was became first cellist at the Stuttgart Royal Orchestra. During that time he
began writing music and wrote a suite and a concerto for cello and orchestra.
Described as a commanding man, he was always well tailored and showed wit and
good manners. He married Theresa Förster in 1886 and shortly thereafter they
traveled to America where the good Fräulein was engaged to perform with the
Metropolitan Opera Company.
In New York, Herbert joined the Metropolitan Opera Company orchestra and soon
became an American citizen, never again to return to Ireland or Germany. For a
while Herbert performed as a soloist and formed and conducted and orchestra. He
also formed the New York String Quartet and became a faculty member of the
National Conservatory of Music. His compositional efforts up till 1893 were
focused entirely on concert works. Then Lillian Russel commisioned him to write
an operetta, La Vivandière, which was never produced, supposedly
because it was not up to her standards. Undaunted, Herbert was taken by popular
song and operetta and the next year he wrote Prince Ananias and with it
was launched the popular and musical stage career of one of America's greatest
song writers. A number of stage productions culminating in what is arguably, his
greatest operetta, Babes In Toy Land.
In addition to his operettas, many of the songs from them became stand alone
hits (i.e. Toy Land) and he wrote a number of enduring hits we still
sometimes hear today. Among them are Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life, (MIDI)
Gypsy Love Song, In Old New York, Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! and You Belong
To Me. His 1924 song and operetta of the same name My Dream Girl were his
last. Herbert died in New York City in 1924 of a heart attack.
Henry Blossom (b. 1866, St. Louis, MO, d. 1919 New York City) Blossom
is best known for his one lasting hit The Streets Of New York ("East
side, West side, all around the town.") from the 1906 production The Red Mill,
also in collaboration with Victor Herbert. Blossom was primarily a librettist
and lyricist in the musical world but his original profession was that of an
insurance broker. His Kiss Me Again was from the show Mlle.
Modiste, first staged in 1905. Blossom wrote the libretto (book) for no less
than sixteen shows, with his last, The Velvet Lady, staged shortly before
his death in 1919. Some of Blossom's works have been performed as recently as
1981.
Hear and see this V.
Herbert song
Printable sheet music using Scorch plugin
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Save
Your Kisses Till The Boys Come Home
1915
Music by: Tom Mellor, Harry Gifford, Fred Godfrey
Lyrics by:
Mellor, Gifford & Godfrey
Cover artist: Jorn Frew
We saw on page one with Kiss Me Good-Bye Sweetheart, that kissing a soldier
good-bye is a timeless activity. However, what happens once the soldier leaves?
That can be a soldiers greatest nightmare! Or, his greatest comfort.
Fortunately, in earlier times women and men were more loyal (or were they?) to
each other and the Victorian mores of the times required a certain composure and
restraint, at least publicly. In 1915, Britain was already embroiled in World
War One and her boys were being sent to the front to participate in what one
historian has called, "organized murder." The United States was watching the
situation but it would be three more years before we helped out. In the
meanwhile, England was producing numerous wonderful war songs that found their
way to America. Save Your Kisses Till The Boys Come Home is one of them,
and one of the best in my opinion.
The song is exceptionally upbeat and a real joy to listen to. It is reminds
me of the great English music hall experience and I can just imagine the
performer belting this song out on the stage while the audience joins in. Of
course the song also sends a message to the boys not to worry, their women are
holding faithful to them and saving up all their kisses just for them when they
come home. We can only imagine how this song must have encouraged the troops and
even gave them something to look forward to on their return home. If the songs
of World War One interest you, you may want to read our three part series on the
music of W.W.I and the associated features of music. You can start with part one and
work your way through the series.
The team of Mellor, Gifford and Godfrey have eluded me. Perhaps because they
are from England, as is this song, my "American" songwriter resources do not
include them. Searches of the net came up empty but perhaps someone out there
can help us document their lives.
Hear this great old
English song
listen to MIDI version
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 Kisses
1918
Music by: Lynn Cowan
Lyrics by: Alex Sullivan
Cover
artist: De Takacs
Here we have a song that simply addresses the basis of kisses, the romantic
and love bourne kiss between two lovers. At the same time, the lyrics of this
song cover the range of kissing to make the point that the sweetest kiss is from
your sweetheart. If I cared to be more parsimonious with my words, I could have
just copied the lyrics from this song as it pretty well summarizes the entire
subject of kisses at the beginning of the first verse:
Ever since the world began,
Kisses have been tempting man,
Though
kisses have helped to make history
It's funny how diff'rent they can be.
And then the song goes on to speak of the various kisses one can experience.
Be sure to play the song using the Scorch player or at least take a look at the
entire lyrics through the lyrics link below. Musically, Cowan and Sullivan also
hit the mark as the song is a wonderful and melodic ballad that conveys the
tenderness of the lyrics.
Lynn Cowan is yet another of those elusive composers for whom I've
been unable to find any substantial biographical information. There was a Lynn
Cowan who performed in a number of film musicals as well as silent films from
1924 to 1934 but I've been unable to make a connection to this composer. Cowan
is credited with at least two other songs I can find; in 1928 he published
Dream House with lyrics by Earl Foxe and then in 1929, a song for the
film The Great Gabbo; I'm In Love With You with lyrics by Paul
Titsworth. His partner in this song, Alex Sullivan seems to have fallen
prey to the same fate.
Listen to and see this great
Kiss song (Scorch format)
Listen to MIDI version
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The
Kiss That Made Me Cry
1918
Music by: Joe Burns, Arthur Fields, Archie
Gottler
Lyrics by: Burns, Fields & Gottler
Cover artist: Unknown
Shown in one of the articles in our series about W.W.I music, this song is a
wonderful, perhaps the best song of the era about the meaningfulness of a
child's kiss. We've certainly explored the soldier's good-bye kiss with the
sweetheart, but here we have a war tear jerker of monumental proportions that no
doubt ripped out the hearts of many a listener in 1918. Of a gentler and kinder
time in our history, the song even shows that men do cry, even when they try not
to. A hardened soldier off to war, trained to kill and perhaps about to be
killed is brought to his knees by the love of his child. There can be no doubt
that the emotion of the moment was almost too much for a man to take.
Written by one of America's more patriotic composers, Archie Gottler and his
lyricists have managed to create one of the War's greatest hits. Gottler shows
his extreme talent in writing a melody that is beautiful and as he did in his
great song America, I Love You, he shows his mastery of harmony and
accompaniment with a song that has great chordal progressions, modulations and
phrasing. I think you'll enjoy this song and agree, it is a masterpiece of
songwriting.
Archie Gottler (1896 - 1959) is perhaps most
famous for his patriotic song America I Love You, (see our March, 1998
feature) introduced by Eva Tanguay in 1915. He wrote a number of classic
American songs including two in collaboration with Maceo Pinkard; Don't Be
Like That and Lila, which Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians later
recorded on a best selling disc. His songs are marked by wonderful melodies and
patriotic fervor. In one case, he showed his good humor with the novelty War
song, Would You Rather Be A Colonel With An Eagle On Your Shoulder Or A
Private With A Chicken On Your Knee?. Gottler also wrote a number of
Broadway show scores as well as early sound movie scores. Gottler wrote several
very popular songs and several Broadway musicals including the Broadway
Brevities starring Eddie Cantor which opened at Winter Garden Theater,
September 29,1920 and ran for 105 performances. He attended CCNY and Long Island
Business College. He was a pianist in silent movie theaters early in his career.
Gottler also served in the Signal Corps during W.W.II as a producer of training
films. Among his other Broadway scores was the Zeigfeld Follies of 1918
and Good Boy in 1928. Gottler was also a pioneer composer for early
silent films composing scores for The Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 and
the film, Happy Days in 1930. During his career he collaborated with a
number of the big name lyricists of the period and even brought his son, Jerome,
into the business as a lyricist to his music. Among his other successful songs
are In The Gold Fields Of
Nevada (1915, Scorch format), Nobody Else But Elsie (date unkn.),
That's How I Feel About You (1928), Roamin' Through The Roses
(1933), and Mammy's Chocolate Soldier (1918). Gottler died in
California.
Hear this great old War
song Printable!
(Scorch format only)
Listen to MIDI version
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 A
Kiss In The Dark
1922
Music by: Victor Herbert
Lyrics by: B.G. De Sylva
Cover artist:
Unknown
It's time to turn out the lights and say "goodnight ladies,"(and gentlemen)
and what better way that with a kiss in the dark? Our final song for this issue
is yet another from the master of American music, Victor Herbert. Here Herbert
teamed up with one of America's greatest lyricists to create a song that is a
lovely waltz, still very much like many of Herbert's songs yet a little more
mainstream pop for the times. I've mostly found Herbert's music a bit too formal
and artsy to suit me. His work borders on the classical and is less light than
most popular music. His style is very firmly grounded in the Victorian age and
this song, though written fairly late in his career, still shows that 1890's
patina that he seems so firmly attached to.
This song, like almost all of Herbert's is from a stage show, Orange
Blossoms which opened at the Fulton Theater, September 19, 1922 and ran for
95 performances. Herbert would only write two more shows before his death in
1924, neither of which produced lasting hits. This song would be his final
lasting hit of his career. This show was also the only one written in
collaboration with a big name pop lyricist, De Sylva. It was relatively unusual
for Herbert to team with lyricists from the "new school" of American popular
music. The song is a flowing waltz ballad that is kind to the ear and with
lyrics that tell a touching story of a kiss in the dark that sparked a lasting
love. What better way to end our feature this month. We wish all of you love and
kisses of all sorts.
A Special Treat, Part Deux. Here is a second piano roll
conversion by Terry Smythe. Listen now to the playing of the composer, Victor Herbert as he plays his
own song, A Kiss In The Dark from Ampico piano roll 1201 published in 1921.
Visit Terry's
site for a fascinating look at how he has accomplished this miracle.
See the above listing for Kiss Me Again for biographical information
on the composer Victor Herbert.
George Gard ("Buddy") De Sylva (b. 1895 New York
City - d. 1950, Hollywood) Though New York born, De Sylva grew up in California
and attended USC. He gained an early interest in show business and tried writing
a few songs. He met Al Jolson around 1917 or 18 and Jolson convinced him to go
to New York and used several of De Sylva's songs in Sinbad and other
shows. Jolson and De Sylva collaborated on many songs over the course of their
association. In addition to Jolson's shows, he wrote songs for a number of other
productions over the twenties and wrote a number of individual songs that became
big hits. In 1925 he teamed with composer Ray Henderson and fellow lyricist Lew
Brown to write several show scores into the thirties. In the mid 1930's, De
Silva turned to the movies and became a producer and produces several of Shirley
Temple's best films. He ultimately rose to head of Paramount Pictures and was an
executive with Capitol records.
De Sylva enjoyed a nearly lifelong association with Al Jolson and wrote many
of his biggest hit songs. However, Jolson's hits were only a small part of his
famous songs, many of which are still popular today. His many hits include,
The Best Things In Life Are Free (1927); Button Up Your Overcoat
(1928); You Are My Lucky Star (1928); California Here I Come
(1922) and If You Knew Suzie Like I Know Susie (1925). His last song was
the 1939 song Love Affair from the movie Wishing.
Enjoy this great Kiss
song Printable sheet
music using Scorch plugin
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That completes our feature of songs about kisses and kissing.
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